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Meldonium found in several other Russian athletes
Several other Russian athletes have also tested positive for meldonium. The drug has been banned since the 1st of January.
Meldonium has been found in test samples taken from: Alexander Markin, a member of the Russian men’s volleyball team and a bronze medalist of the 2015 European Games; Pavel Kulizhnikov, a speed skater and five-time world champion; and Semen Elistratov, a short-track speed skater and an Olympic champion.
On the 7th of March, professional tennis player Maria Sharapova, who …
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Stoltenberg: Russia is attempting to divide NATO
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour that Russia is attempting to divide the alliance using various means.
“What we have seen over long time is a more assertive Russia, using many different means to try to intimidate its neighbors and to try to also divide the NATO alliance,” Stoltenberg stated.
The Secretary General went on to explain that NATO is responding to the threat using several strategies.
“We are responding in a very unified way, adapting our …
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Dutch investigators to determine launch site of missile that brought down MH17
The Dutch Prosecutor, who is leading the investigation into the people responsible for the downing of flight MH17, stated that the Netherlands has received all necessary information from the U.S.A. concerning the investigation of the Boeing-777 crash over The Donbas, Deutsche Welle reported.
Fred Westerbeke stated that it is impossible to predict the completion date of the investigation. However, he promised to report the exact site of the anti-aircraft missile launch and its model this summer. …
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Russia refuses to supply new missiles to Iran after Tehran secretly armed Hezbollah with Russian arms
The Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jareeda recently published an article that claims that Russia has delayed shipment of S-300 anti-aircraft missile system supplies to Iran for reasons other than financial difficulties. According to Al-Jareeda, Moscow is displeased with Iran’s breach of obligations not to provide missile weapons to Lebanese Hezbollah. The story was quickly circulated by the Israeli media, in particular, by The Jerusalem Post, Maariv and Israel Hayom.
The Hezbollah allegedly received …
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Fitch forecasts decline in Russian GDP in 2016
The Fitch international ratings agency revised the forecast on Russia’s gross domestic product or GDP. As reported on the Fitch website, experts believe that the Russian GDP will fall by 1.5% this year.
As early as last December, they forecasted 0.5% GDP growth but in February 2016 this changed to a 1% decline. Low oil prices in Russia reduced oil company profits that led to budget tightening policies.
Meanwhile, high interest rates and declining salaries are reducing consumption, the Fitch …